Danionella translucida

Danionella translucida
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Cypriniformes
Family:	Cyprinidae
Genus:	Danionella
Species:	D. translucida
Binomial name
Danionella translucida T. R. Roberts, 1986

Danionella translucida is an extremely small (1.1 cm long) species of cyprinid fish endemic to Myanmar. When described, it was considered to be the smallest freshwater vertebrate. It was collected from the roots of floating aquatic plants in a slow-flowing, shallow stream (maximum depth 1 m) in the Pegu Division of Myanmar. It was found alongside Danio, Microrasbora, Erethistes, and Oryzias species. Observed in life, D. translucida is almost perfectly transparent except for its eyes. It has a distinctive pattern of melanophores. There are no melanophores on the dorsal surface except on the head over the posterior part of the brain. On the posterior half of the body, there a few melanophores following the horizontal midline. The sides and underside of the abdomen have melanophores. A double row of melanophores is present on the underside of the fish from the isthmus of the gills to the pelvic fins. Eggs in D. translucida has been found to range in size from about .3–.6 mm (.011–.024 in) in diameter, with ripe eggs being at least .5 mm (.019 in) in diameter. Females carried anywhere from 3 to 8 or 10 eggs. Compared to the body of the fish, these eggs are relatively large.^[1]

External links

• Danionella translucida

References

• Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2011). "Danionella translucida" in FishBase. August 2011 version.

1. ^ Roberts, Tyson R. (1986). "Danionella translucida, a new genus and species of cyprinid fish from Burma, one of the smallest living vertebrates". Environmental Biology of Fishes 16 (4): 231–241. doi:10.1007/BF00842977.